Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole and Bloc Quebecois chief Yves-Francois Blanchet are expected to take their seats in the House of Commons this week after being benched due to COVID-19.The two opposition leaders were absent from the Commons last week as both were in isolation after contracting COVID-19.Their formal replies to the Liberals' speech from the throne will come as Parliament is set to debate new COVID-19 relief measures over the coming days and potentially pass them into law.The government plans to set up a new pandemic-benefits regime under the umbrella of the existing employment i

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is very disappointed that Sikh RCMP officers have been reassigned during the pandemic because their religiously mandated facial hair makes it difficult to properly wear a face covering. The World Sikh Organization of Canada says officers have been placed on desk duty for almost six months, as the RCMP found the N100 mask does not seal with facial hair. The organization says no attempt has been made to accommodate Sikh officers with other protective coverings that would work with facial hair. Trudeau says health and safety regulations are extremely importan

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join Canada's top public health officers today for their daily update on the worsening COVID-19 health crisis.Trudeau is expected to have an announcement about his government's ongoing efforts to protect Canadians and combat the novel coronavirus.But he's also expected to start joining chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and her deputy, Howard Njoo more regularly at their daily briefings.It's a sign of how serious the second wave of COVID-19 has already become. During the first wave, Trudeau held daily news conferences outside his home, Rideau Cottag

BC is reporting 148 new cases of COVID-19 as well as two more deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says both deaths were in the Fraser Health region and she also revealed an Indigenous elder died last weekend in the northern region. Dr. Henry acknowledged it's taken some time to develop a consistent reporting system of all cases in schools and says she has full confidence in reporting by Vancouver Coastal Health. British Columbia's top doctor is thanking supporters after revealing she has faced abuse and death threats related to her public health orders during the COVID-19 pand

The fate of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government hangs in the balance as Parliament resumes all normal operations today for the first time in six months.Opposition parties will give their official responses to Wednesday's speech from the throne but they've already signalled that Trudeau can't count on support from any of them to survive the eventual confidence vote and avoid plunging the country into an election in the midst of a second wave of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.The Conservatives were unequivocal: they will not support the throne speech.The Bloc Quebecois was

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the second wave of COVID-19 is already underway across the country. He says the numbers are clear with more than a thousand new cases yesterday. Trudeau says families won't likely be able to gather for Thanksgiving, but it's not too late to save Christmas. He says we need to keep wearing masks, use the government's exposure-alert app and obey public health instructions. Trudeau made his comments after the throne speech in an address to Canadians on the state of the pandemic.

BC NDP leader John Horgan while talking to Connect FM in SVER WALA SHOW today, said that BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson delayed the construction of a much-needed Surrey hospital by selling off its potential site. He said the second hospital for Surrey is a "done deal" and the money for the hospital is already in the budget. Responding to a question about Surrey-Langley-Sky Train extension, Horgan said that he and the federal government are committed to seeing it through. He said that for Surrey’s mayor Doug McCallum or anyone else to say that his government is not moving fast enough on t

A promised reset of federal priorities to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic begins today with the Liberal government's speech from the throne. The nearly hour-long speech is expected to address three areas: immediate action to push back against a second wave of the pandemic, supports for those still not back on their feet after the first wave, and how the economy might be further rebuilt once it can stand more on its own.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan comes as public health officials are warning the country is but a few house parties away from plunging into a full-blown second wave.He's ex

John Horgan and the BC NDP will keep British Columbia moving forward by building on the progress already made in improving health care for people.A re-elected BC NDP government will build ten more urgent and primary care centres by the end of 2021, with a focus on the communities that need them most. Horgan made the commitment alongside North Vancouver-Lonsdale BC NDP candidate Bowinn Ma, a strong advocate for the North Shore Urgent and Primary Care Centre."People want to be able to get the health care they need closer to home, without waiting for hours in an emergency room," said Horgan. "Our